Yoga provides the means to reintegrate all aspects of one’s being. If ones heart is filled with sincere, pure, and selfless intention, then one will experience a deep internal healing and a deep inner peace in one’s own body, mind, and soul. But, more than that, yoga will provide the means to reintegrate the individual with life itself so that he or she may experience the unchanging eternal cosmic reality, the blissful source of all beings and things.
The practices of yoga can transform us into spiritually activated beings, free from fear, fueled by the power of peace, compassion, and love. The practice will help us heal the dis-ease of disconnection in ourselves. A state of disconnection leads us to pollute the inner and outer environment. That pollution comes in the form of our thoughts, actions, and our words.
You will be able to tell if you are making progress in your yoga practice and causing less pollution to the environment by the words you choose, and by the sound of your own voice. When you can say what you mean and mean what you say – with your whole being – then you know you are moving closer to your highest potential, which includes the ability to help others, enlarge your circle of compassion to include all others, not just those few human beings that you know and like, but even those to whom you find it difficult to relate, perhaps even those who speak a different language or may belong to another species. You begin to understand who you are and who “they” are and begin to see through the differences and into the sacred truth of Oneness.
This practice of living and expressing yourself peacefully will naturally evolve into mindfulness regarding your actions, including your diet. A vegetarian diet, or better yet a totally plant-based vegan diet, will contribute more to reducing the pollution of fear and violence in your own body, and in the world around you, than any other action you could take.
The practices of yoga create peace in ourselves, and that peace will be reflected in the world around us. If we truly want world peace we must begin by embodying that peace ourselves. The practice of yoga will end war, even wars of which we often are not even aware. Unfortunately, there are many human wars being fought on this planet at this time, but the ongoing war is the war against Mother Nature; human beings versus all other animals as well as the planet. Traditionally, the yogi is that member of society who strives to live harmoniously with Mother Nature. The true test of moral fiber during these violent times is not to stand against war but to stand FOR peace. Speak out for peace, live peacefully, think well of others, do what you can to uplift the lives of others. Find a way to live so that your own life enhances the lives of others. Give up the love of power for the power of love. Peace will come when we have given up hateful thoughts, cruel words, and violent actions in our own daily lives. Cultivate hopeful thoughts, sweet speech and kind actions. Don’t wait for a better world. Start now to create a universe of harmony and peace. It is up to you. It always has been!
